Image Credit: Salem Harbor, Fitz Henry Lane [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
We’ve added 12 new volumes toMassachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1900, from the parish of Immaculate Conception in Salem. This update consists of 2,860 pages, 23,972 records and roughly 90,300 names. St. Mary’s was originally the name of Immaculate Conception; as the parish grew and built a new church, the name changed. St. Mary’s was established in 1821, the 3rd Catholic church in Massachusetts. The new Immaculate Conception church was dedicated in 1858. The volumes below are named according to the name written in the actual record book. We want to thank all of our marvelous volunteers who contributed work towards making this parish available; their time and effort is so appreciated. The new volumes are listed below:
St. Mary (Salem) Baptisms, 1840-1854
St. Mary (Salem) Marriages, 1842-1870
Immaculate Conception (Salem) Baptisms and Marriages, 1824-1828
Immaculate Conception (Salem) Baptisms, Marriages, and Deaths, 1831-1841
If you have found any interesting stories or important information about your ancestors within the Archdiocese of Boston records, we would love to hear from you! Please email me (Molly Rogers) at webmaster@nehgs.org.
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above NEHGS members only. Consider membership.
Note added November 29, 2017:
Our policy is to name volumes as they are named in the Archdiocesan archives. They have decided to name the two St. Mary’s volumes as Immaculate Conception, so we have changed the volume names accordingly. This change is based upon the following research, “Saint Mary’s, Salem, was the second parish in the diocese founded in 1826. The parish was split in two with the establishment of Saint James in 1850, this to help serve the immediate area but also the large number of missions Saint Mary’s had become responsible for in the surrounding area. By 1857, a new church was completed to replace the old wooden church of Saint Mary’s, but because few priests were available they decided to merge the two parishes into one again, and rename this large parish the Immaculate Conception.”
We now have volumes online illustrating the early history of Catholics in Salem. This latest update to Massachusetts: (Image Only) Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1900 includes records from Saint Mary’s Church and Immaculate Conception of Salem. St. Mary’s was the earlier church, which was replaced by Immaculate Conception as the parish grew. These St. Mary’s records are not to be confused with St. Mary’s Italian Church of Salem which was not established until the 1900s. The following volumes comprise this update:
Our policy is to name volumes as they are named in the Archdiocesan archives. They have decided to name the two St. Mary’s volumes as Immaculate Conception, so we have changed the volume names accordingly. This change is based upon the following research, “Saint Mary’s, Salem, was the second parish in the diocese founded in 1826. The parish was split in two with the establishment of Saint James in 1850, this to help serve the immediate area but also the large number of missions Saint Mary’s had become responsible for in the surrounding area. By 1857, a new church was completed to replace the old wooden church of Saint Mary’s, but because few priests were available they decided to merge the two parishes into one again, and rename this large parish the Immaculate Conception.”
South Sea Whale Fishery, lithographic print painted by Garnerey, engraved by E. Duncan, published 1835 by Randolph Ackermann, 191 Regent Street London, State Library of New South Wales, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
We are excited to announce that we have added crew lists to the database: American Offshore Whaling Crew and Voyage Lists, 1799-1927. This update makes this database a part of 10 Million Names and adds 186,873 records and names to this database. The volumes are now organized by “Crew Lists” and “Voyages,” and then within those categories they are in alphabetical order by surnames.
These crew lists were recorded at the customs houses in New Bedford, Fall River, and Salem, Massachusetts, and in New London, Connecticut, and have been compiled as part of various projects and from various sources over the years by a partnership between the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Mystic Seaport Museum, and the Nantucket Historical Association. We thank them for sharing their work to create this database. Their joint work on whaling history can be found here and more information about the crew lists can be found here.
This database is available to all American Ancestors members, including Guest members, at no cost.Consider membership.
We’d like to thank the following volunteers for their hard work on this project:
Eldon Gay, Bruce McKeeman, Gig Moineau, Lynn Blayer, Marilyn Tomei, Corwynn Crane, Katherine Marshall-Mayer, Ross Weaver, Amelia Devin Freedman, Eileen McCarthy, Nancy Johnson, Gale Stevenson, Pauline Cusson, Carolyn Jack, Mara Witzling, Alexander Hodi, Valerie Abrahamsen, Jeff Lovell, Lisa Butler, Richard Lagueux, Loretta Brown-Aldrich, Becki Clarke, Barbara Macken, Virginia Marshall, Sandy Murphy Mauer, Bill Morse, Susan Van Allen, Ashley Waters, Carol Demers, and Kathleen Oberley.
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Zobeida Chaffee-Valdes, Database Services Volunteer Coordinator via email at zobeida.chaffee-valdes@americanancestors.org.
This database is available to Individual-level and above American Ancestors members. Consider membership.
We are excited to announce that we have added a new database:American Offshore Whaling Crew Lists, 1799-1927 to our collection. This database is comprised of 6082 names and records and is searchable for given names and surnames, and includes port and voyage information.
This database includes information about all known American offshore (or “pelagic”) whaling voyages from the 1700s to the 1920s. The voyages included in the database sailed from, or were under the registry of, what is now the United States. A voyage was defined to be complete when the vessel returned to its port of departure or registry. This database includes crew lists from four New England ports: Fall River, MA, New Bedford, MA, Salem, MA, and New London, CT.
This database is the result of a partnership with the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Mystic Seaport Museum, and the Nantucket Historical Association. Their joint work on whaling history can be found here.
Please Note: This database is available to all NEHGS members, including Guest members, at no cost.Consider membership.
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact our Database Volunteer Coordinator, Zobeida, at zobeida.chaffee-valdes@nehgs.org.
Map of Salem Village, Massachusetts, 1692, by William Phineas Upham,1866 (Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons; available through the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, Boston Public Library)
Today we’ve updatedEarly New England Families, 1641-1700, adding one new sketch. This new sketch features John Putnam and his family. John was born about 1579/1580 in Buckinghamshire, England, with his family largely settling in Salem and the surrounding area before spreading across New England.
The Early New England Families, 1641-1700 study project is led by Alicia Crane Williams. This project highlights heads of families mentioned in Torrey’s New England Marriages to 1700, focusing on individuals who immigrated from 1641 through 1700, grouped by year of marriage.
Interested researchers should also look at Alicia’s posts on Vita Brevishere for more information on her research process and interesting discoveries.
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above NEHGS members only. Consider membership.
Birchy Cove, Bay of Islands, Newfoundland & Labrador, c. 1908, photographed by William McFarlane Notman (Public domain via Wikimedia Commons, courtesy of the McCord Stewart Museum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada).
Today we’re excited to announce an update to Canadian Headstones: Cemetery Heritage Records of Canada. This update includes data from 67 cemeteries in Alberta, Newfoundland & Labrador, Saskatchewan, and Quebec, adding more than 15,000 records to search.
Canadian Headstones is a volunteer-operated Canadian non-profit dedicated to the digital preservation of Canada’s cemetery heritage. We are working together to create an index-only database that links back to the Canadian Headstones website for each record, which include headstone images, transcriptions, and full citations. To learn more about Canadian Headstones and their mission, please visit their website.
We’d like to thank Ben Jones for his assistance in making this data available online.
The following cemeteries have been released in this update:
Alberta
Old Banff Cemetery, Banff National Park, Alberta
Amisk Creek Lutheran Cemetery, Beaver, Alberta
Ascension of Our Lord Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery (Kopernick), Beaver, Alberta
Bardo / Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Beaver, Alberta
Earling / Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Beaver, Alberta
God’s Acre Cemetery, Beaver, Alberta
Golden Valley Cemetery, Beaver, Alberta
Holden Cenotaph & War Memorial, Beaver, Alberta
Holden Municipal Cemetery, Beaver, Alberta
Holy Ghost Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery, Beaver, Alberta
Jarrow Cemetery, Beaver, Alberta
Lornedale Cemetery, Beaver, Alberta
Ryley Cenotaph & War Memorial, Beaver, Alberta
Ryley Community Cemetery, Beaver, Alberta
Salem Mennonite Church Cemetery, Beaver, Alberta
Salem United Church Cemetery, Beaver, Alberta
St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church Cemetery, Beaver, Alberta
St. John’s Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery (Borschiw), Beaver, Alberta
St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery, Beaver Alberta
The Garden, House of Ministries, Beaver, Alberta
Tofield Cemetery, Beaver, Alberta
Unnamed Cemetery (near Holden), Beaver, Alberta
Viking Cemetery, Beaver, Alberta
Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Beaver, Alberta
Canmore Cemetery, Bighorn, Alberta
Hillcrest Cemetery, Bighorn Alberta
Newfoundland & Labrador
Halfyard Family Burial Ground, Ochre Pit Cove, Bay de Verde, Newfoundland & Labrador
Jacobs Family Cemetery, Old Highway, Norther Bay, Bay de Verde, Newfoundland & Labrador
Ochre Pit Cove United Church Cemetery, Bay de Verde, Newfoundland & Labrador
Salvage Anglican Cemetery, Bay de Verde, Newfoundland & Labrador
South United Cemetery, Western Bay, Bay de Verde, Newfoundland & Labrador
United Church Section Cemetery, Townsite, Corner Brook, Bay of Island, Newfoundland & Labrador
Quebec
Albertville Cemetery, La Matapedia, Bas Saint-Laurent, Quebec
Causapscal Cemetery, La Matapedia, Bas Saint-Laurent, Quebec
J.C. Saindon Cemetery, Sayabec, La Matapedia, Bas Saint-Laurent, Quebec
Jardin de la Paix Cemetery, Sayabec, La Matapedia, Bas Saint-Laurent, Quebec
Lac-au-Saumon Cemetery, La Matapedia, Bas Saint-Laurent, Quebec
Repos Saint-Benoit Cemetery, Amqui, La Matapedia, Bas Saint-Laurent, Quebec
Repos Saint-Paul Cemetery, Amqui, La Matapedia, Bas Saint-Laurent, Quebec
Saint-Alexandre-des-Lacs Cemetery, La Matapedia, Bas Saint-Laurent, Quebec
Saint-Cleophas Cemetery, La Matapedia, Bas Saint-Laurent, Quebec
Saint Demase Cemetery, La Matapedia, Bas Saint-Laurent, Quebec
Sainte Florence Cemetery, La Matapedia, Bas Saint-Laurent, Quebec
Sainte Irene Cemetery, La Matapedia, Bas Saint-Laurent, Quebec
Sainte Marguerite-Marie Cemtery, La Matapedia, Bas Saint-Laurent, Quebec
Saint Leon-de-Grand Cemetery, La Matapedia, Bas Saint-Laurent, Quebec
Saint Moase Cemtery, La Matapedia, Bas Saint-Laurent, Quebec
Saint-Noel Cemetery, La Matapedia, Bas Saint-Laurent, Quebec
Saint-Tharcisius Cemetery, La Matapedia, Bas Saint-Laurent, Quebec
Saint Vianney Cemetery, La Matapedia, Bas Saint-Laurent, Quebec
Saint Zenon-du-Lac-Humqui Cemetery, La Matapedia, Bas Saint-Laurent, Quebec
Vall-Brilliant Cemetery, La Matapedia, Bas Saint-Laurent, Quebec
Saskatchewan
Jean Baptiste De La Salle Cemetery, Battle River No. 439, Saskatchewan
Lakside Cemetery, Barrier Valley, No. 398, Saskatchewan
Hawarden Cemetery, Beaver River No. 623, Saskatchewan
Beacon Hill Cemetery, Beaver River No. 624, Saskatchewan
Pierceland Cemetery, Beaver River No. 625, Saskatchewan
Bengough Cemetery, Bengough No. 41, Saskatchewan
Pleasantview Cemetery, Big Quill No. 309, Saskatchewan
St. Mary’s (Sacred Heart) Cemetery, Wynyard, Big Quill No. 310, Saskatchewan
Big River Cemetery, Big River No. 556, Saskatchewan
Detail of grave marker at St. Paul Cemetery in Arlington, Massachusetts, 2020. (photographer unknown; public domain via Wikimedia Commons)
Today we are excited to announce that we have added 4 new cemeteries to Massachusetts: Catholic Cemetery Association Records, 1833-1940: North Cambridge Catholic (Cambridge), St. Mary (Lynn), St. Mary (Salem) and St. Patrick (Watertown). This final update adds 34 new volumes and over 177,000 records to this database and concludes our work on this project, which has been in process since 2019.
The records in this database are primarily lot sales and interments, and may include information about lot owners, date of burial and location of burial. Some of the people represented in these written records may not have purchased a grave marker or their marker may have eroded with time, making this collection essential for research into Catholic burials in this region.
In addition to the searchable database, maps of each cemetery are being made available to help locate burial plots. Where possible, maps include sections, ranges and in some cases narrative description of how headstones are arranged by row and lot number. Also included are points of interest such as entrances, exits, flag poles, monuments, offices and spigots. Special sections for the burials of infants, priests and religious are also noted. Links to the cemetery maps can be found in the Database Description. Watch ourhow-to video for instructions on navigating to the database and using the cemetery maps. Included in this update we’ve also added links to new maps in the database description.
The new volumes are listed below. Books labelled Cambridge Catholic belong to the North Cambridge Catholic cemetery.
Cambridge Catholic (Cambridge) Burials, 1846-1854
Cambridge Catholic (Cambridge) Burials, 1848-1851
Cambridge Catholic (Cambridge) Burials, 1851-1854
Cambridge Catholic (Cambridge) Burials, 1854-1855
Cambridge Catholic (Cambridge) Burials, 1856
Cambridge Catholic (Cambridge) Burials, 1856-1859
Cambridge Catholic (Cambridge) Burials, 1859-1861
Cambridge Catholic (Cambridge) Burials, 1862-1866
Cambridge Catholic (Cambridge) Burials, 1866-1875
Cambridge Catholic (Cambridge) Lot Assignments, 1846-1858
Cambridge Catholic (Cambridge) Lot Sales, 1845-1848
Cambridge Catholic (Cambridge) Lot Sales, 1849-1853
Cambridge Catholic (Cambridge) Lot Sales, 1853-1876
Cambridge Catholic (Cambridge) Lot sales, 1859-1863
Cambridge Catholic (Cambridge) Lot Sales, 1863-1881
North Cambridge Catholic (Cambridge) A-Z Index Lot Owners, 1846-1934
North Cambridge Catholic (Cambridge) Burials, 1852-1866
North Cambridge Catholic (Cambridge) Burials, 1867-1877
North Cambridge Catholic (Cambridge) Burials, 1881-1908
North Cambridge Catholic (Cambridge) Burials, 1883-1892
North Cambridge Catholic (Cambridge) Burials, 1925-1940
North Cambridge Catholic (Cambridge) Lot Assignments, 1846-1873
North Cambridge Catholic (Cambridge) Lot Owners, A-S, 1847-1868
North Cambridge Catholic (Cambridge) Lot Owners, S-Z, 1847-1868
North Cambridge Catholic (Cambridge) Lot Sales, 1846-1877
St. Mary (Lynn) Interments, 1860-1940
St. Mary (Lynn) Interments, 1919-1933
St. Mary (Lynn) Lot Locations and Owners
St. Mary (Lynn) Lot Sales, 1860-1884
St. Mary (Salem) Interments and Lot Sales, 1874-1900
St. Mary (Salem) Interments and Lot Sales, 1901-1927
St. Mary (Salem) Interments, 1928-1940
St. Patrick (Watertown) Burials, 1908-1918
St. Patrick (Watertown) Burials, 1928-1940
St. Patrick (Watertown) Burials, 1930-1940
St. Patrick (Watertown) Interments, 1908-1918
St. Patrick (Watertown) Lot Sales, 1860-1884
We’d like to thank the following volunteers for their work on these volumes of this database: Paul McCool, Mirca Sghedoni, Peg Camp, John Hagerty, Rick Lagueux, Lisa Butler, Kathy Oberley, Ross Weaver, Sandy Murphy Mauer, Daria O’Connor, Linda Martin Berke, Robyn Choate, Peggy Burchenal, Elaine Wood, Eileen McCarthy, Bill Morse, Jane Himmel, Jaime Williams-Peterson, Becki Clarke, Gail Delfose, Nancy Johnson, Renda Smith, Karen Jarret, Bob Rainville, Tom Clements, Mara Witzling, Jan Lundquist, David Fredette, Karen Buchinger, Nina Manno, Kathy Marshall-Mayer, Karen Ristic, Arlys LaFehr, Fran Danico, Susan Van Allen, Toni Lattimer, Sara Stinson, Elizabeth Handler, Linda Mathew, Melanie Nelson, Carolyn Jack, Pam Hugie, Jeanne Brown, Joan Koesterherm, Bill Kerrigan, Gale Stevenson, Michelle Kearns, Matt Murphy, Maryanne LeGrow, Conall O’Cathain, Sharon Dorrity, Alida Baker, Maureen Keillor, Helen Fredell, Janet Essency, Eldon Gay, Joyce McKenna, Mary Alice Yost, Lisa Bisio, Pam Johnson, Therese Mosorjak, Bill Fenton, Joan Sullivan, Judy Welna, Paula Hines, Nora Galvin, Patty Ryburn, and Becky Brownell-Smith.
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above NEHGS members only. Consider membership.
Salem Road, Woburn, Massachusetts by Albion Harris Bicknell (Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Today we’ve added 22 new volumes to Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920 from Immaculate Conception in Weymouth, Our Lady of Lourdes in Jamaica Plain, St. Charles Borromeo in Waltham, St. Charles Borromeo in Woburn, St. Francis Xavier in Weymouth and St. John the Evangelist in Swampscott. This update adds over 24,200 records and over 94,600 names to search.
We’d like to thank Sam Sturgis for his help making these parishes available online.
Our Lady of Lourdes (Jamaica Plain) Baptisms, 1908-1917 Our Lady of Lourdes (Jamaica Plain) Baptisms, 1917-1920 Our Lady of Lourdes (Jamaica Plain) Marriages, 1908-1917
St. Charles Borromeo (Waltham) Baptisms, 1909-1920 St. Charles Borromeo (Waltham) Marriages, 1909-1920
St. Charles Borromeo (Woburn) Baptisms, 1908-1913 St. Charles Borromeo (Woburn) Baptisms, 1913-1920 St. Charles Borromeo (Woburn) Marriages, 1908-1909
St. Francis Xavier (Weymouth) Baptisms, 1907-1920 St. Francis Xavier (Weymouth) Confirmations, 1908-1920 St. Francis Xavier (Weymouth) Marriages, 1907-1920
St. John the Evangelist (Swampscott) Baptisms, 1906-1910 St. John the Evangelist (Swampscott) Baptisms, 1911-1920 St. John the Evangelist (Swampscott) First Communions and Confirmations, Female, 1909-1916 St. John the Evangelist (Swampscott) First Communions and Confirmations, Male, 1909-1916 St. John the Evangelist (Swampscott) Marriages, 1906-1910 St. John the Evangelist (Swampscott) Marriages, 1906-1913 St. John the Evangelist (Swampscott) Marriages, 1911-1920 St. John the Evangelist (Swampscott) Sick Calls, 1914-1920
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above NEHGS members only. Consider membership.
St. Michael’s parish began in 1883 when Lowell’s churches were mandated to become geographically-arranged parishes. It was initially served by the priests of St. Patrick’s before it became officially independent. This church was built in Lowell’s Centralville neighborhood, across the river from downtown Lowell.
St. Michael’s Church in North Andover was dedicated in 1869 as many churches proliferated in the Lawrence area. Initially this church was linked with St. Patrick’s in south Lawrence before becoming an independent parish around the turn of the century.
As early as 1856, Catholics were worshiping in Rockport. Prior to the establishment of St. Joachim’s, Catholics would travel to Salem or Gloucester to worship. This parish was established in 1870.
We’d like to thank Sam Sturgis for his help making these parishes available online.
The new volumes are listed below:
St. Michael (Lowell) Baptisms, 1908-1917 St. Michael (Lowell) Baptisms, 1917-1920 St. Michael (Lowell) Confirmations, 1903-1917 St. Michael (Lowell) Confirmations, 1920 St. Michael (Lowell) Convert Baptisms, 1910-1920 St. Michael (Lowell) First Communions, 1901-1920 St. Michael (Lowell) Marriages, 1908-1920
St. Michael (North Andover) Baptisms, 1900-1908 St. Michael (North Andover) Baptisms, 1903-1911 St. Michael (North Andover) Baptisms, 1908-1918 St. Michael (North Andover) Baptisms, 1911-1918 St. Michael (North Andover) Baptisms, 1918-1920 St. Michael (North Andover) Confirmations, 1902-1909 St. Michael (North Andover) First Communions, 1903-1920 St. Michael (North Andover) Marriages, 1908-1920 St. Michael (North Andover) Sick Calls, 1903-1906
St. Joachim (Rockport) Baptisms, 1905-1908 St. Joachim (Rockport) Baptisms, 1907-1920 St. Joachim (Rockport) Confirmations, 1905-1912 St. Joachim (Rockport) Confirmations, 1918-1920 St. Joachim (Rockport) Marriages, 1905-1913 St. Joachim (Rockport) Marriages, 1908-1920
Please note: This database is available to Individual-level and above NEHGS members only. Consider membership.
We now have volumes online illustrating the early history of Catholics in Salem. This latest update to Massachusetts: (Image Only) Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1900 includes records from Saint Mary’s Church and Immaculate Conception of Salem. St. Mary’s was the earlier church, which was replaced by Immaculate Conception as the parish grew. These St. Mary’s records are not to be confused with St. Mary’s Italian Church of Salem which was not established until the 1900s. The following volumes comprise this update:
